Conventionally, storage apparatuses or storage elements capable of recording and storing various data or audio/images etc. have been internally mounted in equipment cases of personal computers etc. or have been capable of being arbitrarily attachable and detachable (or exchangeable) to and from equipment cases.
In a case where, for example, flexible disk devices etc. are taken as external storage apparatuses capable of being freely removed from the equipment, attaching and removing is possible with one movement, and various data is possible to record and store in a manner appropriately corresponding to the purpose and object etc. This has the substantial advantage that arrangement etc. can be carried out in a straightforward manner.
However, in the case of a flexible disk, with respect to recording various data, not only is reliability insufficient, but access time is also slow. Further, when apparatuses are made more compact in accordance with the tendency to develop miniaturized, the surface area of the storage medium inevitably becomes smaller and storage capacity is reduced, with this placing limits on achieving miniaturization with a high-capacity.
On the other hand, when semiconductor memory is used as an external storage apparatus, there is the advantage that it is possible to resolve problems with flexible disks such as problems with the reliability of recording and storing of various data and the access time being slow.
The card-type apparatus disclosed in, for example, Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2003-281490 is well known as an external storage apparatus using semiconductor memory of the related art. However, with card-type external storage apparatuses, this is detrimental to the versatility of drive devices reading and writing data stored in this storage apparatuses, and it is not convenient for a user in its usability.
The present applicant has therefore formerly proposed an external storage apparatus utilized through insertion in a USB (Universal Serial Bus) port etc. of a personal computer (Japanese Patent Application No. 2003-281490). Since this external storage apparatus does not require a dedicated drive device and is capable of storing and reading data simply through insertion in a USB port typically provided at a personal computer, it is very convenient. A configuration for the above external storage apparatus is shown in FIG. 58 to FIG. 60.
An external storage apparatus 1 of the related art is a construction in which a substrate holder 5 made of synthetic resin, which houses a memory substrate 6 mounting a semiconductor memory, is inserted to a main body 2 made of synthetic resin and an external connection terminal 3 such as a connector attached at one edge of the memory substrate 6 is exposed to outside of the main body 2.
When in use, by the external connection terminal 3 is connected to a USB port etc. of a personal computer, which is not shown, recorded information in the semiconductor memory is read or information is recorded in the semiconductor memory. When not in use, a cap 4 made of synthetic resin is attached at the main body 2 with the purpose of protecting from dust and dirt and to ensure accurate reading, recording and storing of information.
Other than the above, the present applicant has formerly proposed Japanese Patent Application No. Hei 6-312593, Japanese Patent Application No. Hei 11-354213 and Japanese Patent Application No. 2001-160390.